Brief
by Mac-alicious
Summary: There were these brief, fleeting moments when she caught his eye from across the room and she was overcome by the sinking feeling that she had made a terrible mistake in letting him walk away from her that night.


**A/N: **Here's my latest GG oneshot. I actually liked how this stretched itself out, it was originally going to be a drabble but then it just grew on its own. I'm not sure about the ending but here it is. This was written prior to Episode 2.12 It's a Wonderful Lie and Episode 2.13 Oh Brother, Where Bart Thou. So, it's obviously not what happened. It's AU. Anyway, enjoy! R&R! Thanks! –Mac

**Disclaimer: **I don't own GG.

**Brief**

There were these brief, fleeting moments when she caught his eye from across the room and she was overcome by the sinking feeling that she had made a terrible mistake in letting him walk away from her that night. But then it passed and she was back to doing what Blair Waldorf was always doing—ruling the school (and by default the social scene of the entire city), scheming to take down anyone that threatened her façade of unlimited perfection, and endlessly searching for Prince Charming and her happily ever after. By the time she got around to asking herself why she thought she had made a mistake, she had already forgotten that some small part of her had spoken up long enough to suggest that maybe Prince Charming was a fantasy and maybe she was _supposed_ to be with the Devil in the signature scarf. Soon enough that thought wasn't even a blip on her intellectual radar; she was too smart to ever truly consider a real relationship with Chuck—whatever it may entail. However, even silenced, the part of her, that really believed Chuck was the one, was still there waiting for the next brief, fleeting moment.

There were times when Blair would wake up in the middle of the night—with a whisper of a moan on her lips, and her body warm and content. For a brief, fleeting moment she would think that maybe she was dreaming of him again. But as her memories of the dreams were always hazy and momentary, she disregarded that notion before it could solidify into any sort of longing for the real life counterparts of the images her mind produced in response to the thought. She completely put it out of her mind and tried to fall back to sleep, hoping (halfheartedly) that the dreams didn't return (because honestly, it had been during those dreams, which she claimed to not remember, that she felt truly happy for the first time in months, not that she would ever admit to that).

Then there were these brief, fleeting moments when, while Blair was talking to him (they're acting like they're just friends again because what else could they really do?) and he said her name in that husky drawl of his, she felt the urge to reach out to touch his cheek or to smooth back his hair—either of which would lead to him taking her in his arms and kissing her with a passion he reserved only for her. But just as her hand began to leave her lap, the _sane_ part of her took control and forced her to drop the offending hand. Because, really, she didn't want Chuck Bass to kiss her again, right? Not then, because that would ruin the whole "_waiting_" game they had agreed upon.

But if she was honest with herself (something Blair had decided not to do anymore as it always seemed to interfere with her pursuit of a perfect, fairytale happy ending), she did want him to kiss her. She did want to dream of him. She did want to be with him. All this waiting had achieved was to torture them both.

Of course, Chuck had been right—being the Chuck-and-Blair that held hands and went to the movies would completely undermine the relationship that had brought them to where they were. In the moment, waiting until they were both ready for that type of relationship together seemed like the right idea. Now, Blair realized that they didn't need to have that lovey-dovey type of relationship, that wasn't them. They didn't have to be Blair-and-Nate (pre-Serena) or Serena-and-Dan (pre-Georgina). They could just _be_ together, in any way they wanted. Maybe at one time she wanted something that resembled what she and Nat had, but not anymore. What she wanted was Chuck and it had taken far too long for her to realize that. Now all she had to do was convince Chuck of that—because she was done wasting time waiting around for him to figure it out for himself.

The next time she saw him at school, there was another one of those brief, fleeting moments when she caught him watching her from across the courtyard and, by the look in his eyes, and she began to believe maybe he thought they had made a mistake too. Then he looked away, whatever she had seen in his eyes fading away, and the uncertainty about how he would react to what she planned to do crept back over here. The fear, that he had moved on and that he wouldn't be receptive to the idea of being with her, escalated. It was almost enough for her to rethink her decision—but Blair Waldorf didn't back down from anything, so she stayed her course despite being unsure. And so that was how she found herself at her door.

There was a brief, fleeting moment of hesitation on Blair's part before she knocked. As she blew out the breath she had been holding, she silently thanked God that Serena and the rest of the van der Woodsen-Bass brood was conveniently absent. She could have Chuck all to herself—there would be no unwanted interruptions encroaching on a moment that deserved privacy. After a moment, the door was pulled open and Chuck's gaze came to rest upon her.

Blair offered him a small smile, "May I come in?"

Chuck stepped back and gestured her into the room, "My door is always open for you, Blair."

"As it should be," Blair stated lightly, moving past him she dropped her bag onto his bed and slipped out of her jacket, laying it next to her bag. She then turned back to Chuck, "We need to talk."

Chuck eyed her curiously, choosing to close his door before responding, "What could be so urgent that Blair Waldorf would take time out of her busy schedule to come visit me?"

"Chuck, your wit astounds me and any other day I would love to participate in a bout of our unique banter," Blair replied, "But today I need to be serious."

"Of course. Is something wrong Blair?" Chuck asked.

"Yes, there is. I hate waiting," Blair answered simply.

"I'm not quite sure I understand…"

"I'm talking about you and me—we agreed to wait in hopes that someday, somehow we would find a way to be together without completely destroying each other. Well, I hate waiting. That whole 'patience is a virtue' thing is lost on me. _Especially,_ when it comes to you."

"I still…"

"Let me finish," Blair warned, and Chuck gestured for her to continue. "Honestly, in the moment, waiting sounded like the right thing to do. I was afraid of what might happen if I told you how I really felt, just like you were. But now, I've realized that may never happen only tears you apart. I hate waiting, because I'm afraid that I will end up waiting forever for something that isn't coming. It happened with Nate, and…I don't want it to happen with you."

"Blair, like I told you before, I can't see us doing all of those things that couples do," Chuck began, "It's not us."

"We don't have to be the perfect couple. You're right, that's not us. Can't we just _be together_?" Blair exclaimed. "Whatever we are, that's what I want. I could try to fight it, but I don't have the strength to do that anymore. And all those brief moments that make me want you so badly are beginning to add up so that I want you uncontrollably _all the time_. That has to mean something."

"It would be crazy for us to try this. It's asking for one or both of us to end up irrevocably damaged."

"All this waiting has already driven me crazy and I personally believe that both of us have already been hurt far worse in our lives. I think we owe it to ourselves to at least try. If it doesn't work then it doesn't work, but we have to try…"

"We have been trying," Chuck responded. "And we couldn't make it work."

"No, we tried to say that one little phrase that has eluded us through much of our lives. And it didn't work because we weren't ready. Maybe we will be someday but right now all I care about is being with you…" Blair began, but from the look on Chuck's face all the confidence drained out of her, "…and maybe I was too quick to assume you wanted to be with me too. I'm sorry, I'll go."

Blair began to gather her jacket and purse, preparing herself to leave, until a hand on her wrist stilled her. Chuck was standing too close for her comfort, as he had basically rejected all of her reasons for being there at all. She wanted to run, she wanted to flee the room and never look back—but she couldn't move. She could feel his breath on the back of her neck and the tension between them made the room buzz. His grip loosened slightly and for a brief moment she thought he was going to let her go—but he didn't let her go, he gently pushed her to turn around and face him.

Their eyes locked, their gaze on each other steady. For a brief, fleeting moment Blair was certain Chuck was going to kiss her. And she wasn't wrong.

Chuck's lips found hers with an urgency that only presented itself in her presence. Blair responded with equal enthusiasm, her arms immediately finding their way around his neck to pull him closer. When they reached a point where oxygen became a necessity, they broke the kiss, but didn't pull apart.

"There isn't a moment that goes by where I don't wish I had spent it with you," Chuck murmured.

"When did you become so eloquently romantic?" Blair questioned softly.

"I've always been well-versed in romantic passages, but I've never meant the words until you," Chuck answered. "I want to be with you Blair, but I don't want what we have to be short lived."

Blair sighed, "Neither do I."

"So," Chuck began, "We'll have to make sure it isn't."

"I can do that," Blair smiled.

Blair still feared that her time with Chuck would be brief, but for the time being that was okay with her. She was happy to just be with him for however long she could be. And maybe, their brief, fleeting moments would turn into a happily ever after (not that they would call it that, Blair had given up on the fairytale ending and perhaps found it in spite of that). Blair and Chuck would never be the golden couple—they were something else altogether—but what they were was so much better (and they would both attest to that).


End file.
